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Sgt Dentith also offered more detail on the force’s response to a ram raid at a Lord Street jewellery shop.

The shocking incident saw a jeep smashed through the doors of David Search jewellers and then set on fire before the burglars fled on motorbikes.

The force has come under criticism for its slow response time, with some social media users repeating the oft-heard ‘there’s no police left in Southport’ line and other businesses raising concerns directly with officers.

However, Sgt Dentith explained that officers were on the scene within 22 minutes of the incident being logged.

He added: “That time isn’t a direct result of there being no police in Southport. At the time of the robbery, we’d had three calls of burglaries. Officers were dealing with these, including taking one man into custody.”